This weekend marked one of the highlights of the LEGO calendar, Dublin Brick Con 2025, Ireland’s largest celebration of the brick, creativity, and community. And for Redmond’s Forge, it was a weekend to remember.
We were proud to exhibit two of our most ambitious Star Wars MOCs to date, the Escape from Exogorth diorama and the Yavin Temple display, surrounded by an impressive fleet of ships that helped bring a full galactic theme to life.
A Galaxy on Display
In total, twelve ships formed the Redmond’s Forge Star Wars hangar:
- Escape from Exogorth MOC – our centrepiece, showing the Millennium Falcon’s desperate flight from the space slug named Exogorth.
- Yavin Temple MOC – a custom-built Rebel base scene marking the victory after the Death Star’s destruction, taking the 75365 Yavin 4 Rebel Base set with its Y-Wing as using this as a centrepiece. Luke & Han received their medal from Leia, while Chewbacca got to stand in the background.
- UCS Executor (Super Star Destroyer) 10221 from 2011 – dominating the skyline with its breathtaking scale.
- UCS Millennium Falcon 10179 from 2007 – the legendary set that began a new era of Star Wars LEGO collecting – stripped down to its frame in the shipyards of Corellia as it grey exterior is being cleaned at the moment.
- UCS Imperial Star Destroyer 10030 from 2002 – an enduring icon of LEGO engineering.
- Tantive IV 10198 from 2009 – the ship that launched a saga, and someone asked me how did I upscale the 2019 version to make it bigger – but I pointed out it was the earlier version.
- Three Millennium Falcons through the years, 7965 from 2011, 75105 from 2015, and 75257 from 2019 tracing the evolution of the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs in 4 year gaps.
Two Falcons, the Dark Falcon and Kessel Run Falcon, stayed safely at home, ensuring the display didn’t collapse into hyperspace chaos!
Community, Creativity, and Connection
Brick Con Ireland once again proved why it’s such a cornerstone of the Irish LEGO community. Massive thanks go to the incredible organisers Jarek, Paul, and Dave, and to the always-helpful support team, Emma and Wes, for keeping everything running so smoothly across the two packed days.
It was a joy to see hundreds of smiling faces light up when spotting the details hidden across the MOCs. Some reactions were priceless, from gasps at the sheer size of the Exogorth’s mouth to knowing smiles when fans spotted Leia, Luke, and Chewie mid-escape.
And what truly makes Brick Con special is the people behind the bricks.
A Weekend of Friends and Fans
It was fantastic catching up with so many familiar faces and new friends across the LEGO world:
- Andy from Dubbzi Bricks with his Wayne Tower, a gent and full of encouragement, who is doing 3 builds at the moment in parallel – an 11ft Tanative IV, a UCS Onyx Cinder, and his Gotham City.
- Dave “Merlin” Wicks from Merlin’s LEGO, whose energy is as magical as ever, who was very eager to use a blow torch on my MOC, as he said it would bring colour back to the bricks. I did let him do it to a small section at the end – but I am not sure the rest of the MOC will get the same treatment.
- Daniel from iFOL Bricks, whose camera captured some brilliant shots of the displays.
- Damien from Celbridge LEGO with his LegoLand FC stadium around the Subbuteo pitch and the fairly even match of a Subbuteo team versus a team of LEGO Mini-figures. Mention the new LEGO UCS Death Star to him and he’s likely to turn into the Omen and whip people to build faster or else.
- Dave Fennell (dfenz) and the team from brick.ie, for displaying so many great builds of his – I have seen his work on display for so many years, it is more that a decade since I first saw his model trains and train stations of Ireland.
- James Shields, another founder member of brick.ie, whose Battle of Hoth MOC and display was absolutely amazing – I am glad I left my Hoth MOC scenes at the forge.
- Jennifer and her Friends theme park that had Rose absolutely drooling with jealousy – and the roller coaster that can go uphill with the gearing system that she has created on it.
- Alex, who rightly took home Best Scene for his jaw-dropping Pirates display and world of the Aquari Fortress on Instagram as @cityscapebricks.
- Marc Verhees and his child and their amazing stories and scenes – the Pirates versus Monkeys and the motorised Elves Castles are show stopping pieces.
- Michele who does the most amazingly detailed builds at the micro level.
- Jean with his Viking and Medieval settlement which makes me so very envious. I hope ours looks as good when setup at the Forge. It won’t but one can dream.
- Ben from Ben’s Bricks who provides me, Luke, and Rose with our fix of LEGO at these events at great prices
Family, Fun, and a Few Familiar Faces
I was solo on Saturday, manning the stand and answering the endless (and brilliant!) questions from visitors. On Sunday, the Forge family joined the fun, Jill, Luke, and Rose came to help out, play, and meet the crowds. My mum and sister dropped in that afternoon too, making it a proper family day out.
A special shout-out to Pat from Cork, one of the event organisers, who not only kept everything running smoothly, and somehow managed to recruit my two little helpers to the volunteer ranks for a while! I look forward to catching up with him in 2026 at the Cork Brick Con.
Then there was the lovely family from Leopardstown Heights, who stopped by and asked, “Do you live in Stepaside? We cycle by your house and always wondered what all those LEGO bricks in the shape of a tree in your driveway were for!” Mystery solved, de dahhhh!, now they know what’s been brewing inside Redmond’s Forge.
To Annraí, recently 18, back for his third year as a volunteer, always cheerful and full of Brick Con spirit, and to his parents and family who were so nice to chat to.
To the Newbridge LEGO & Ferrari fan who shared the latest Alex Dunne to Red Bull gossip, and everything to do with Star Wars – a real AFOL.
To old kayak and LEGO friends like Ed Atkinson and Lorcan O’Neill, and even Luke’s friends Michael and Ryan (and their aunts!) who came to visit the stand, it was wonderful to see you all.
Building the Death Star at Brick Con
One of the weekend’s unexpected highlights was joining the volunteer team to help assemble the brand-new LEGO Star Wars Death Star during the show. The build was brilliantly coordinated by Damien, who rallied together a great mix of AFOLs, volunteers, and exhibitors to take on the galaxy’s most infamous battle station piece by piece. I was lucky enough to get assigned bags 21, 22, and 23, adding my own touch to the massive structure as it slowly came to life across the weekend. At this point Ed, mentioned above, came over for a chat, so bag 22 took quite a bit longer to build – but the chat was great. Watching so many builders of all ages collaborating on such an iconic set in the middle of Dublin Brick Con perfectly captured what makes this community so special, teamwork, creativity, and a shared love for all things LEGO.
Once completed, the finished Death Star didn’t just sit on display, it was raffled off, with tickets available exclusively to volunteers and exhibitors as a thank-you for their hard work and dedication. In the end, Lucy, one of the volunteers, was the lucky winner, and her reaction when her name was called was absolutely priceless. It was the perfect conclusion to a build that captured everything great about Dublin Brick Con.
Meeting the Creator of LEGO Ideas Luxo Jr
One of the most memorable moments of Dublin Brick Con 2025 came from an unexpected encounter, meeting Toby Brett, also known as TOBY1KENOBI, the designer behind the brand-new LEGO Ideas Luxo Jr set. As both a Pixar fan and a lifelong admirer of the little desk lamp that started it all, getting to pick up a copy of the set in person was a real treat. Even better, Toby was kind enough to sign my box, adding the message: “To Darren – TBrett Toby.”
It’s rare to meet the creative minds who turn fan ideas into official LEGO sets, and this one felt especially fitting, the Luxo Jr lamp has long been a symbol of imagination and animation, both qualities that shine through the community spirit at Brick Con. That signed set is now one of my favourite keepsakes from the weekend, a small but powerful reminder of how inspiration can jump from concept to creation, one brick (or lamp) at a time.
Moments That Matter
Events like this remind us that LEGO isn’t just plastic, it’s connection, creativity, and nostalgia rolled into one. It’s about stories, shared smiles, and the sparkle in a kid’s eye when they realise that yes, you can build an asteroid-eating space slug the size of your dining table.
Dublin Brick Con 2025 was a triumph. Thank you to everyone who made it happen and to everyone who stopped by the Redmond’s Forge display to chat, take photos, and share the love of the brick.
We’ll see you again, in a galaxy not so far away.
